This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

I work at a dumpster fire company - Given the job market, should I take the promotion or cut and run?

I’m beginning my career in digital marketing and took a position as a Marketing Assistant to get some real-world experience. I have a lot of skills (SEO, copywriting, email marketing, etc.). I’ve basically been teaching myself on the job.

I want to move into a role that expands on these skills with a team that will help me learn. And it’s no secret that entry-level positions are limited, and competition for these roles is fierce.

The good news is that my current company is open to promoting me to Digital Marketing Coordinator. There have been many conversations about it, and they are submitting the new position for approval in our budget.

The bad news is that my current company is a dumpster fire. Disorganized, fire alarms every day, no creative freedom, and hardly any guidance. My team is great - I love them. The disasters come from leadership and trickle down to the worker bees.

I feel weirdly loyal because they are making a great effort to move me up. I know, I know. You *shouldn’t* feel loyal to a company. But, given that I have an attachment to my team and they have been working hard to promote me, I feel invested.

I’m 34, and this is a career change for me. Starting over at another entry-level job, with another entry-level salary, would feel defeating.

So, what’s a girl to do? Cut and run now? Seek another job for equal/lesser pay? Or, wait it out and take the promotion to build up my resume/get a better job in the future?

Iynna·Feb 29

Thanks for sharing! Reading this and without making hasty conclusions, I think you might be getting caught up in a grass is greener mentality. You mentioned a number of parameters at play that I think need to weighed against one another ie. what do you prioritise1- company being a dumpster fire + fire drills everyday, that's a very common thing actually especially when business is shit (even though some companies thrive it's not secret that the economy has been tough on business so the dumpster fire you're experiencing now will happen elsewhere) 2- loving your team: how important is it to you on a scale of 1-10 (or any scale of your choice really)?3- moving up the ladder: how important is mobility to you on a scale of 1-10 (or any scale)? As I am sure you know the job market is not great so practically speaking, would you feel okay being out of work for a few months (can be 6-9-12)? if the answer is yes, then sure! You can use the time to think about your options, reflect, what you want out of your next opp. If the answer is no, then it's worth considering staying for a bit longer. One quick thought on your comment: "You *shouldn’t* feel loyal to a company" -- that's a blanket statement that get thrown around in my opinion, you can still care about your company/your team and be attached to them without saying you're married to the company / have boundaries around what you'll do and not do.

Rosena15·Feb 29

I think it’s important not to underestimate the negative impact on your health and career that working at a chaotic company can have. As much as it could be difficult, I’d try and refrain from making decisions based on external / societal markers of success such as “what you should be doing at this age” or “what my resume will look like”. I’d ask myself: How do I feel working here everyday? Is it negatively impacting my health (physical, mental)? What are the benefits besides a paycheck and resume building of staying in a potentially toxic situation?

melaniecrissey·Mar 01

How long is the promo process going to take? If you think it will go through in the next 3 months, I'd stick it out for a quarter and take the promo before initiating a job search, just to have demonstrated proven progression within an org on my resume.That said—you don't have to "start over" at entry level again if you want to start job searching now. It's entirely possible to give yourself a title promotion and/or a raise through a job search if you can prove your skills would map to a higher level role at a different company. I wouldn't take a job with lesser pay unless I'd burned through all my savings and exhausted other options. I'd try to bet on myself and freelance or consult before going into a full-time role for less money. Every company has their own flavor of dumpster fire happening somewhere. You should always consistently seek out companies with better culture and better alignment to your core values, but you also may want to balance "grass is greener" with "the devil you know." If it's truly toxic, get out but don't sell yourself short.

nicolehorner·Mar 01

Start networking now, a lot! Get in touch with everyone you can think of to "reconnect", "catch up", "coffee chat". Keep the job until something better comes along, networking is how you'll likely find something better in time. Now is not the time to quit, it is really tough out here. You need to build your network first. I speak from experience. Also from experience, work will keep creating fires if they know you'll put them out. Delegate, step back, push back.I wish you the best!

laurenharvey·Mar 04

Hi! I’m well acquainted with working in a dumpster fire company. I think the main question (and the question I asked myself) is - how is this effecting my mental health? Are they asking you to work 60 hour weeks without additional compensation? Are you reprimanded for providing deliverables that aren’t up to standard when you weren’t provided standards in the first place? There’s a lot of questions you can ask — and follow up with: Is this a situation that could potentially be solved with advocating for myself? I.e. asking more questions when given a project to determine requirements, etc. There’s definitely different types of dumpster fires. I’ve chosen to stay with my dumpster fire because of a few reasons 1) I like my coworkers. We get along, there’s mutual respect, etc. 2) Management is transparent regarding the company’s financial situation 3) Management trusts me and gives me flexibility with my scheduling which is something that’s really important to meI’m sure there’s better jobs out there, but no job is perfect. If you feel comfortable where you are and they are treating you well, staying makes perfect sense. Sounds like it’s a great resume builder, and you’re getting a lot of experience. Just check in mentally and emotionally to make sure you are still on the path of growth! Good luck!